Automated motorized modular shelf system

ABSTRACT

A system and method are disclosed for motorized modular shelf organization. The system and method includes a gondola rack with a plurality of longitudinal shelves which engage with an upright support on the gondola rack, and are capable of moving vertically via a motorized element. The gondola rack also includes at least two support arms which are capable of grasping the plurality of longitudinal shelves and moving the plurality of longitudinal shelves laterally and vertically so that the longitudinal shelves may swap positions with another shelf.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a Divisional of U.S. patent application Ser. No.15/926,659, filed on Mar. 20, 2018, which claims the benefit of priorityto U.S. Provisional Application No. 62/475,273, filed on Mar. 23, 2017,the entire contents of which are hereby incorporated by reference.

BACKGROUND 1. Technical Field

The present disclosure relates to a motorized modular shelf system andmore specifically to the utilization of the motorized modular shelfsystem in a gondola rack.

2. Introduction

Retail shelving systems are found in almost every store and supermarket.Shelves may be standardized such that the shelves are not removable, andthe entire rack cannot be customized. Retail shelving as described doesnot allow for customized shelving components being mixed within a singlevertical support plane. Once installed, the installed shelvingcomponents are static, meaning they cannot be changed without removingthe entire component from the hooks which attach to the vertical plane.

In other types of shelving, the shelving bays are held together byvertical, back panels which hold the individual shelves. In many cases,the vertical panels are plain, meaning just a flat surface, butperforated vertical panels are available which can allow pegboard hooksfor hanging products. The vertical panel often has holes runningvertically, with the holes being used to engage with hooks in theshelving, such that individual shelves can be adjusted to fit asdesired. When circumstances require a different storage system, such asa basket, or a gravity-fed can storage system, the entire shelf must beremoved and replaced with the alternative unit hooking into the verticalpanel.

A “gondola rack” may be used, where the gondola rack comprises ashelving system that is preferably mobile and easily modified. Themodular framework of the gondola rack may include a notched verticalpanel that supports modular shelves having hooked tabs that may beinserted in the notches on the vertical panel. In this way, shelving maybe configured to be interchangeable and modular. The display componentscan be combined with other display components resulting in differentcombinations of display components within the space normally devoted toa single shelf (i.e., the space between the hanging holes of thevertical plane). Additionally, the display components can be removed andreplaced within the modular shelving framework described herein, withoutthe entire shelf being removed.

Shelving may be optimally reorganized or restocked for reasons likeseasonal events, holidays, and/or emergency or weather situations. Forinstance, a particular shelf arrangement may be designed based onperceived user interest in items due to the season, size and weight ofthe items, and the expected eye-level of a target customer. In this way,shelf arrangement design plans may be based on the time of the day, timeof the month, characteristics of the retail items, shopper demographics,and other considerations. The arrangement may be designed to beimplemented in a number of stores world-wide, regionally, or simply at asingle store.

However, restocking and reorganizing shelving on a gondola rack can beextremely time consuming and require significant personnel staffing,particularly for large retail displays. Also, due to the varying sizeand weight of retail items, personnel may not know where to placecertain shelves to accommodate all the retail items, which may wastetime and also result in inefficient displays. Further, shelf designs maybe hard to understand or implement by personnel, as plans may beparticularly detailed and the notches in the vertical panel are oftenclose together and are great in number. Further, as items are removed bycustomers off the shelves, this leaves available retail items towardsthe back of the shelf, and the items may be out of view, butreorganizing the shelves can be time consuming.

Thus, there is a need for a simple modular shelf organization system,where restocking and reorganizing the shelving may be automated.

SUMMARY

A modular shelf organization system is disclosed, where the modularshelf organization system includes a gondola rack; one or more uprightsupport members associated with the gondola rack, wherein the gondolarack is connected to a communication network; a plurality oflongitudinal shelves associated with the gondola rack and configured toengage with the one or more upright support members, wherein eachlongitudinal shelf is capable of moving in a vertical direction alongthe one or more upright support member; at least one motor that drivesthe movement of the plurality of longitudinal shelves; at least twosupport arms, wherein the support arms are capable of grasping a firstshelf of the plurality of longitudinal shelves that is located above asecond shelf of the plurality of the longitudinal shelves, and shiftingthe first shelf laterally such that no portion of the shelf is locatedat the same vertical plane as any of the other shelves, wherein the atleast two support arms are further capable of moving vertically toadjust the height of the first of the plurality of longitudinal shelves,and retract such that the first shelf is located below the second shelf.

A method for modular shelf organization of a gondola rack is disclosed,the method including providing a gondola rack comprising one or moreupright support members associated with the gondola rack, wherein thegondola rack is connected to a communication network; engaging aplurality of longitudinal shelves with gondola rack by engaging each ofthe plurality of longitudinal shelves with the one or more uprightsupport members; moving one or more of the plurality of longitudinalshelve in a vertical direction along the one or more upright supportmembers, comprising energizing at least one motor; grasping a firstshelf of the plurality of longitudinal shelves that is located above asecond shelf of the plurality of the longitudinal shelves with at leasttwo support arms, and extending the at least two support arms laterallysuch that no portion of the first shelf is located at the same verticalplane as any of the other shelves, moving the at least two support armsvertically to adjust the height of the first shelf, and retracting theat least two support arms such that the first shelf is located below thesecond shelf.

Additional features and advantages of the disclosure will be set forthin the description which follows, and in part will be obvious from thedescription, or can be learned by practice of the herein disclosedprinciples. The features and advantages of the disclosure can berealized and obtained by means of the instruments and combinationsparticularly pointed out in the appended claims. These and otherfeatures of the disclosure will become more fully apparent from thefollowing description and appended claims, or can be learned by thepractice of the principles set forth herein.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 illustrates an exemplary motorized modular shelf rack of thedescribed system;

FIG. 2 illustrates an example configuration of the modular shelving forthe motorized modular shelf rack;

FIG. 3A shows an exemplary configuration of the drive track utilized inconjunction with the exemplary motorized modular shelving;

FIG. 3B illustrates an exemplary configuration of the shelf engagementelements in conjunction with the exemplary motorized modular shelving;

FIG. 3C illustrates an exemplary configuration of the shelf engagementelements in conjunction with the exemplary motorized modular shelving;

FIG. 4 illustrates an exemplary configuration for swapping motorizedshelving elements;

FIG. 5 illustrates an exemplary configuration of the support armelements in conjunction with the exemplary motorized modular shelving;

FIG. 6A shows an exemplary configuration of the support arm utilized inconjunction with the exemplary motorized modular shelving;

FIG. 6B shows an exemplary configuration of the support arm utilized inconjunction with the exemplary motorized modular shelving; and

FIG. 7 shows an exemplary configuration of notch identification tape inconjunction with the exemplary motorized modular shelving.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

A system and method are disclosed for an automated motorized shelvingsystem.

Various embodiments of the disclosure are described in detail below.While specific implementations are described, it should be understoodthat this is done for illustration purposes only. Other components andconfigurations may be used without parting from the spirit and scope ofthe disclosure.

The systems, devices, and methods of the present invention are directedto an automated motorized shelving system within a gondola rack.Descriptions of the automated motorized shelving system may be appliedto any other type of shelving.

FIG. 1 shows an exemplary configuration of an exemplary motorized shelfand gondola rack as disclosed herein. The gondola rack 1 may include oneor more shelves 100, which may comprise various display components. Thegondola rack 1 may include one or more upright supports 4 and a rearupright support 3. The shelves 100 may be attached to one or more tracks111 located on an interior facing surface of the rear upright support 3.In an embodiment, the shelves 100 may comprise one or more motorizedelements 101 that engages with the track 111. As can be understood byone of ordinary skill in the art, the motorized elements 101 may causethe shelf 100 to move up and down vertically in relation to the track111. In another embodiment, the tracks 111 each contain a motorizedelement that moves up and down vertically and cause the shelves 100 tomove when the shelves 100 are engaged with the track 111. The gondolarack may also include wheels 2 or another mobilization means that allowsthe gondola rack to move from location to location within a retailenvironment.

FIG. 2 shows an exemplary configuration of the interchangeable modularframework on a motorized modular shelf. The interchangeable modularframework may include display components like a shelf component 100 or abasket component 102. The shelf component 100 may also be configured toinclude a basket 102. Each of the shelf component 100 or basketcomponent 102 may engage with a track 111 located on the gondola rack 1,such that the shelf component or basket component may move along thetrack 111. The shelf or basket components may have gears, pegs, or otherengagement mechanisms 103 which can be used to engage with the track 111as part of a gondola shelving system, or “gondola rack.”

In this example, three components 100/102 are included in the gondolarack. In some configurations, the interchangeable modular framework maybe configured to leave gaps within the framework, such as when there isspace for three display components but only two are utilized. In otherconfigurations, there may be more than two display components. Thedisplay components 100/102 may be pre-loaded with retail items, and mayalso include conveyors 104 that allow for retail items to be broughtforward, when a customer removes an item. The display components 100/102may also include one or more weight sensors that determine the load on aparticular component, as well as a computer processor that receivesinformation from the weight sensors. The display components 100/102 maybe configured to provide an indication that a component is overloaded,or may also provide an indication as to the specific load on thecomponent. The display component 100/102 may also be configured todetermine the number of items placed on the component, based on changesin the determined load on the component.

The track 111 can be configured in various ways as understood by thoseof ordinary skill in the art. For instance, the track 111 may beconfigured as a gear, belt, or chain system. FIG. 3A depicts a belt orchain driven motorized system and track 111, with motorized elements115. An engagement mechanism 103 may attached to the belt or chain 114,so that when the belt or chain 114 rotates, the shelf may move up ordown vertically.

FIG. 3B shows an exemplary configuration of the engagement mechanism103. As discussed above, the display components may include anengagement mechanism 103 that engaged with the track 111 on the gondolarack 1. The engagement mechanism 103 can be driven by a motorizedelement 101 that allows the display component to move along the track111. In an embodiment, the engagement mechanism 103 can be a gear, andthe track may include teeth 112 that are configured to engage with theengagement mechanism 103. The motorized element 101 may drive theengagement mechanism 103 to rotate, which causes the display component100/102 to move along the track 111. Positive rotation of the engagementmechanism 103 may cause the display component 100/102 to rise, andnegative rotation of the engagement mechanism 103 may cause the displaycomponent 100/102 to lower on the track 111.

FIG. 3C shows an exemplary configuration of the engagement mechanism103. In an embodiment, the engagement mechanism 103 may include aplurality of pegs located on a rotating drum. The track may includenotches 113 that are configured to engage with the pegs of theengagement mechanism 103. The motorized element 101 may drive theengagement mechanism 103 to rotate, which causes the display component100/102 to move along the track 111. Positive rotation of the engagementmechanism 103 may cause the display component 100/102 to rise, andnegative rotation of the engagement mechanism 103 may cause the displaycomponent 100/102 to lower on the track 111.

In an embodiment, the shelf may be disengaged from the track 111. Forexample, the engagement mechanism 103 may disengage from the track 111,so that the shelf may be removed. For instance, the engagement mechanism103 may be configured to retract in a direction towards the displaycomponent 100/102, so that the engagement mechanism 103 is no longerengaged with the track 111. In an embodiment, the engagement mechanism103 may disengage from the display component 100/102, so that thedisplay component 100/102 is no longer engaged with the track 111.

The display component 100/102 may be removed manually by a user, once itis disengaged. The user may then swap the display component 100/102 withanother component. The new display component 100/102 may be pre-loadedwith retail items. In an embodiment, the removed display component100/102 may be placed manually at a different height, above or belowother display components. For example, as shown in FIG. 4, where agondola rack is loaded with five display components (1001, 1002, 1003,1004, and 1005), a second display component 1002 may be disengaged fromtrack 111, removed from the gondola rack, and then placed below a thirddisplay component 1003.

In an embodiment shown in FIG. 5, the gondola rack may be configured toautomatically remove and replace shelves. The upright supports 4 of thegondola rack 1 may each include a support arm track 121 which extendsvertically along the inward-facing surface of the upright support 4. Asupport arm 120 may be engaged with the support arm track 121 on eachupright support 4. The support arm may be engaged by any meansunderstood in the art, including a gear mechanism as described withrespect to engagement mechanism 103. The support arm may include amotorized element 122 which may drive the support arm to move along thesupport arm track 121. The support arm 120 may be configured to engage adisplay component 100/102. In an embodiment, the support arm 120 may beconfigured to extend in a direction towards the display component100/102, so that the support arm 120 engages with one or more surfacesof the display component 100/102.

As shown in FIG. 6A, the support arm 120 may have a clamp-like shape,with an upper gripping surface 123 and a lower gripping surface 124. Inan embodiment, the upper and lower gripping surfaces 124 may also bemotorized so as to clamp down on a surface of the display component100/102. The support arm 120 may have any configuration, as understoodby one of ordinary skill in the art, to grip and remove a displaycomponent 100/102.

Further, as shown in FIG. 6B, the support arm 120 may further include anextension portion 125. In an embodiment, the extension portion 125engages with the support arm track 121. The support arm 120 may movealong the extension portion 125 such that the support arm 120 extendspast the upright supports 4 of the gondola rack 1. The support arm 120includes the motorized element 126 which drives the movement of thesupport arm 120 along the extension portion 125.

In this manner, the support arms may be configured to move up and downvertically along the tracks 121, so that they are aligned with aparticular display component 100/102. The support arms may then beconfigured to extend laterally towards the display component 100/102,and engage with the display component 100/102. In one example, thesupport arms may rotate with respect to the upright support 4. Forexample, the support arm may rotate between a first position where it isaligned longitudinally with the upright support 4 and a second positionwhere it extends essentially perpendicular to the upright support 4.Once the display component 100/102 is engaged on both sides by eachsupport arm 120, the display component 100/102 may disengage from thetrack 111, as discussed above. The support arms 120 may then both extendaway from the rear upright support 3 of the gondola rack utilizing theextension portion 125, so that the shelf is located outside the gondolarack. Once no portion of the shelf overlaps with the other displaycomponents 100/102 within the gondola rack, the support arms 120 maymove up or down vertically along the tracks 121 to the desired height.Once the desired height is reached, the support arms 120 may retracttowards the rear upright support 3 of the gondola rack along theextension portion 125, so that the display component 100/102 returns tothe desired location within the gondola rack. Furthermore, when aparticular display component 100/102 is located in an extended positionas described, other display components 100/102 may also move up and downvertically along the tracks 111. A display component 100/102 may also beremoved in this manner, where a user or automated device outside of thegondola rack 1 may grip the display component 100/102 prior to releaseby the support arms 120. It is understood by one of ordinary skill inthe art that support arms 120 may also be configured to extend and movein a vertical direction such that a display component 100/102 may beplaced on the floor. In this manner, a shelf may be removed by anautomated system and taken off the retail floor.

Particular movements of the display components 100/102 may be determinedby a central server 200 that is connected either wirelessly or thoughwired communication with the gondola rack 1. For instance, a universalretail design plan for stores may be determined at a central location,and transmitted via a central server 200 to the gondola rack 1. Thecentral server 200 may transmit information about specific heights thateach display component should be relocated to, as well as informationabout swapping particular shelves. The central server 200 may be anycomputer processing and signal transmitting device, as understood by oneof ordinary skill in the art. Further, in an embodiment, the centralserver 200 may include handheld devices including phones or handsets, sothat an onsite user may control the movement of the motorized shelving.It is understood that central server 200 may utilize variouscommunication methods to communicate with the gondola rack 1, includingWiFi, wired LAN, radio, and satellite communication.

In an embodiment, a computer processor in the gondola rack 1 determinesthe particular processes necessary to achieve a desired configuration.For instance, the computer processor may determine the length of runtimefor each of the motorized elements 101, 122, 126, in order to reach aparticular position. The display components 100/102 may also includeproximity sensors that may be used to determine whether a particularpositioning request of the display component 100/102 is possible.Further, the computer processor on the display components 100/102 mayutilize the proximity sensors to determine if obstructions exit. If so,the display components 100/102 may be configured to alert a user to anobstruction, or adapt the movement patterns of the shelf to avoid theobstruction.

Thus, the motorized modular shelving system may be used to fullyautomate a retail shelving display. The shelves may be reorganizedaccording to a centrally determined plan automatically, and may beautomatically reorganized and swapped to accommodate for expectedcustomer preferences, according to the time of day, week, month, year,or other preferences. Shelves with outdated retail items or emptyshelves may be swapped out with new shelves and removed from the retailfloor.

Further, as shown in FIG. 7, the motorized modular shelves of thedescribed invention may be utilized with the notch identification tapeas described in U.S. Patent Application No. 62/478,983. In thissituation, the notch identification tape 201 may be attached to the rearupright support 3 of the gondola rack 1, such that one or more of theidentification markers 210 on the tape 201 may be aligned with areference point on the rear upright support 3. In an embodiment, themotorized shelves may be moved by a user, using the identificationmarkers 210 on the notch identification tape 201 as references for howfar to move the shelf. In this manner, the user may begin to move aparticular shelf and then continue to move the shelf until it is alignedwith a particular identification marker 210.

The notch identification tape 201 may also be utilized with motorizedmodular shelves that are capable of being moved automatically. The notchidentification tape 201 may be attached to the rear upright support 3 ofthe shelf, such that one or more of the identification markers 210 onthe tape 201 may be aligned with a reference point on the rear uprightsupport 3. Movement of the display component 100/102 may be guided bythe notch identification tape 201. For example, the notch identificationtape 201 may be equipped with sensor trigger elements, each located atone or more of the identification markers 210, so that a sensor 221 onthe display component 100/102 may be triggered when the shelf is alignedwith the sensor trigger element and identification marker 210. This mayassist with more precise automatic movement of the display component100/102.

The sensor trigger element and sensors 221 may utilize any sensortechnology known in the art. For instance, the sensor trigger elementmay utilize RFID or infrared to trigger a sensor. The sensor triggerelement may be embedded in the notch identification tape 201, or placedon the surface of the notch identification tape. The sensor triggerelement may be included in the identification marker 210. Alternatively,the rear upright support 3 or the upright supports 4 may includeembedded sensor trigger elements.

The various embodiments described above are provided by way ofillustration only and should not be construed to limit the scope of thedisclosure. Various modifications and changes may be made to theprinciples described herein without following the example embodimentsand applications illustrated and described herein, and without departingfrom the spirit and scope of the disclosure.

We claim:
 1. A method for modular shelf organization of a gondola rack,the method comprising: providing a gondola rack comprising one or moreupright support members associated with the gondola rack, wherein thegondola rack is connected to a communication network; engaging aplurality of longitudinal shelves with the gondola rack by engaging eachof the plurality of longitudinal shelves with the one or more uprightsupport members; moving one or more of the plurality of longitudinalshelves in a vertical direction along the one or more upright supportmembers, comprising energizing at least one motor; grasping a firstshelf of the plurality of longitudinal shelves that is located above asecond shelf of the plurality of the longitudinal shelves with at leasttwo support arms, and extending the at least two support arms laterallysuch that no portion of the first shelf is located at the same verticalplane as any of the other shelves, moving the at least two support armsvertically to adjust the height of the first shelf, detecting anobstruction in a movement path of the first shelf, moving the firstshelf along a second movement path to avoid the obstruction, andretracting the at least two support arms such that the first shelf islocated below the second shelf.
 2. The method for modular shelforganization of a gondola rack of claim 1, wherein the plurality oflongitudinal shelves comprises one or more display items comprising atleast one of a shelf or a basket.
 3. The method for modular shelforganization of a gondola rack of claim 1, further comprising:transmitting location information from a central server to the gondolarack via the communication network; and moving one or more of theplurality of longitudinal shelves along a movement path based on thelocation information.
 4. The method for modular shelf organization of agondola rack of claim 1, wherein one or more of the plurality oflongitudinal shelves generates an indication of a load on one or more ofthe plurality of longitudinal shelves using one or more weight sensors.5. The method for modular shelf organization of a gondola rack of claim1, wherein one or more of the plurality of longitudinal shelvesdetermines whether there is the obstruction in the movement path of theone or more of the plurality of longitudinal shelves using one or moreproximity sensors.
 6. The method for modular shelf organization of agondola rack of claim 1, further comprising attaching one or morevertical movement tracks to the one or more upright support members,wherein the plurality of longitudinal shelves engage with the one ormore vertical movement tracks.
 7. The method for modular shelforganization of a gondola rack of claim 6, wherein one or more of theplurality of longitudinal shelves further comprises one or more gears,and the one or more vertical movement tracks further comprises one ormore teeth that engage with the one or more gears.
 8. The method formodular shelf organization of a gondola rack of claim 6, wherein the oneor more vertical movement tracks further comprises one of a belt orchain and one or more motorized elements that drive the belt or chain.